HONOLULU — National Weather Service (NWS) today gave an initial briefing to Hawaii Emergency Management Agency (HI-EMA), local emergency management and civil defense agencies, and federal and state partners regarding Tropical Disturbance (TD) 96-C, which was located about 900 miles southeast of Hilo as of 1:30 p.m. and moving very slowly to the north-northwest.

The track and potential impacts of TD 96-C are extremely uncertain at this time, but NWS reports show heavy thunderstorm activity with favorable conditions for organization of the system to take place sometime during the next one to four days.

“We are working in tandem with NWS to keep a close watch on TD 96-C and are coordinating closely with local emergency management and civil defense agencies to ensure they are prepared for any potential impacts the storm may bring to our state,” said Vern Miyagi, Administrator of Emergency Management. “The public should monitor media channels for the latest updates on storm development over the next several days.”

NWS models indicate timing of any impacts affecting the state to arrive sometime early next week. Due to the close proximity to the state and high degree of uncertainty associated with TD 96-C, NWS will be tracking the storm very closely to provide the most up-to-date information to local emergency managers.